• Working two stints on “Saturday Night Live” as both a writer and performer

• And most recently writing and directing “The Big Uneasy,” a film that investigated why New Orleans flooded in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (was it the hurricane or the Army Corps of Engineers at fault?).

And that’s just a partial listing. Described as a “modern day Renaissance man,” Harry Shearer can now claim 30 years of bringing radio listeners “Le Show,” a program that Vogue magazine describes as “wildly clever, iconoclastic stew of talk, music, political commentary, readings of inadvertently funny public documents or trade magazines and scripted skits.”

Asked what’s the “thread” that holds the weekly program together, Shearer said “the thread, not to be narcissistic about it, is me. My taste, my sense of humor, what interests me, what I didn’t know that the audience might not know either.” He also explained how he’s kept the show on the air for three decades. “Sheer stubbornness … just keeping the thing going is an act of supreme stubbornness.”

“Also, since I don’t do standup, ‘Le Show’ has always been the place for me to hone my craft, keep writing, develop new characters, and maintain regular contact with an audience,” added Shearer.

Shearer is no stranger to the Los Angeles radio airwaves, having been part of The Credibility Gap, the satirical comedy team formed by then-KRLA news director Lew Irwin in 1968. What started as a group consisting of radio veterans, including John Gilliland, Thom Beck, Richard Beebe, and folk singer Len Chandler, the troupe later became dominated by comedic performers, including Shearer, David L. Lander, and Michael McKean.

Radio continues to be a favorite medium of Shearer. “I love radio’s intimacy, the ease of producing complex material as compared to movies or TV, and its utter portability, both for listeners and now, with all the wonderful technology at our fingertips, for creators as well.”

For years, “Le Show” was a staple of Santa Monica’s KCRW until the station made a seemingly sudden decision last April to drop the show from its broadcast lineup, though the station kept the show available on the station’s website as a podcast. That’s no longer the case.

“I’ve shifted the podcast from KCRW to my new New Orleans home station, WWNO. I just didn’t feel, given the suddenness of KCRW’s decision to un-broadcast “Le Show,” that I could be confident about them going forward, and I preferred to make the switch at a time of my choosing. … KCRW didn’t go out of its way to tell listeners that change was coming,” Shearer said.

By July, “Le Show” found a new home elsewhere in Southern California. Now the program can be heard on KCSN (88.5 FM) in the familiar time slot of Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. “KCSN has been great. From the first contact, general manager/program director Sky Daniels has been welcoming as well as honest about the shortcomings of the station’s signal. But it’s been great to relocate to a station that really seems to value the program.”

Asked about the future of radio, Shearer pointed out some of the current shortcomings. “I dislike what I dislike about any medium, the preponderance of formula material, the absence of creative spark. The true geniuses of modern radio, from Joe Frank to Phil Hendrie, have brought an absolutely uncategorizable, unreplicable individual voice to the medium. In my view, that’s what management should be looking for and encouraging. Shows you what I know.”

“I think in the Spotify-iTunes era what I’d put on a local radio station would be simply the most entertaining people I could find. Local radio in Chicago, at least some of it, has always impressed me by the way individual voices are still allowed to be eccentric and entertaining. I’d do a whole lot of that. I mean, we are in Southern California, a lot of talent could do a lot of great radio with a little cajoling, and, probably, even less money,” said Shearer.

Given that his program is now available for podcasting, Shearer offers his assessment of what’s available online. “I’ve listened to my share of podcasts, and the quality varies widely. Much of them sound like what they are: a couple of guys or gals fooling around in the garage. You get good bands that way.”

As “Le Show” enters into its fourth decade, Shearer provided some insight as to what to expect and any upcoming projects. “At this point, survival is a special project. Nothing in mind, seriously. One of the great treats of doing weekly radio is you forget about the last show the moment it’s done, and I wait until almost the last minute to figure out what the next show will be.”

Contact the writer: Don Barrett is the Register's radio columnist. This week's column was guest-written by Alan Oda, senior correspondent at LARadio.com. If you have radio-related questions or comments, email: db@thevine.net

User Agreement

Keep it civil and stay on topic. No profanity, vulgarity, racial
slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about
tragedies will be blocked. By posting your comment, you agree to
allow Orange County Register Communications, Inc. the right to
republish your name and comment in additional Register publications
without any notification or payment.